September 15, 2022

Story – 

Once there was a young girl who wanted to learn the secret of Happiness and went on to find the wisest person on earth. She wandered through the mountains, deserts, forests and plains to find this wisest person. Finally she reached this magnificent castle on top of a very high mountain where this wise person was known to be living. 

The young girl had always assumed that the wise person would be living a simple minimalist life, like a sage. She was surprised though to find the wise person not fit this image that she had in her head. When she walked into the castle she saw hustle and bustle of plush activity, melodious music playing, tables covered with most delicious delicacies, people happily chatting with each other in what seemed like grand celebration.

She saw the wise woman chatting with everyone and the young girl had to wait for several hours before getting a chance to even speak with the wise woman. When she finally got to speak to the wise woman, she asked what the secret of happiness was. The wise woman listened to the young girl attentively but did not seem to have enough time to respond to her profound question with the celebration going around. She encouraged the young girl to take a look around the castle and explore the beautiful surroundings. Before she started, the wise woman handed the young girl a teaspoon with 2 drops of oil. She asked the young girl to hold on to the spoon as she enjoyed the celebration and instructed her to make sure not to drop a single drop of oil from the spoon. 

The young girl started exploring the different part of the castle but she was barely able to enjoy anything because her entire focus was on the teaspoon of oil. When she went back to see the wise woman in a couple hours, the wise woman enquired about the tour; about the fancy carpets, the unicorns, the dragons, the master garden, the fabulous books in the library etc. The girl shyly confessed that she did not see any of that because she was so focused on not letting the oil spill from the teaspoon. 

The wise woman asked her to go back and check everything out so she could know more about the wise woman and her life. The girl felt relieved that she got another chance to check out the amazing place.  She went back to the place and this time really enjoyed the place; the dragons, the books, the flowers, the garden and even the delicious food! When she finally went back to the wise woman again, this time she recounted all the details excitedly. After hearing her out, the wise woman enquired about the oil in the teaspoon. Well, the oil was gone! The young girl got so caught up in enjoying the place and the celebration that she totally forgot to keep the oil safe this time around. 

The wise woman smiled and said, “ There is only one piece of advice I can give you. The secret of Happiness is to see all of these treasures and to never forget about the oil in the spoon.”

Lesson from the Story – 

• We should enjoy the world (read books, play games, hangout with friends) but not get so caught up that we neglect our responsibilities like chores, homework etc.

• Balancing out the “fun” while taking care of responsibilities is the secret to Happiness.

• Once we become happy by following out responsibilities, it further nurtures balance in our lives.

Activity from the Class – 

Stand on one foot (like mountain pose) and swing both your arms while rolling your eyes 🙂

Next, stand on one foot (again like mountain pose) and this time around fold your hands in front of you in the prayer pose and focus on one spot in front of you.

We learnt that when we do not know our priorities and are not organized about them, it is very hard to find balance and we end up hurting ourselves. As soon as we find our focus and direct our attention, balance simply follows. When we are clear about our dharma we naturally find our balance.

Announcements – 

Attend Open Home next week and invite your friends and family to learn more about our offerings!